- Conference
- 2018 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 27 September 2017
- Decision
- Carried
According to statistics from Wise campaign research shows that at GCSE level engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects has a broadly similar gender split. At this level female students are achieving higher or equal average A*-C grades compared to males.
In addition according to the Women’s Education Society, at A Level this drops off with a higher amount of males taking up STEM subjects, for example only 20% of A Level physics students are female. Despite this, female students are outperforming males by gaining proportionally higher A*-C grades at A Level.
At undergraduate level there is an even starker difference with 86% of Engineering and Technology students and 83% of Computer Science students being male in 2014 as stated in statistics published by Wise.
The UK economy is losing female talent which could be nurtured and developed. Despite the early parity between the sexes, only 6% of registered engineers and technicians (i.e. CEng, IEng, EngTech) are women.).
As it has been demonstrated that diverse organisations outperform those with less diversity, encouraging females into fields where they have talent will help to stimulate growth in the STEM workplace and UK industry as a whole. Early intervention is a proven way to encourage participation in a subject, to retain those who show a talent.
Bursaries are also a proven way to encourage uptake of a subject. This is demonstrated by the 23% drop in applications to Nursing degrees, one of the few traditionally ‘female’ STEM subjects, following the government’s withdrawal of NHS bursaries (
It is disappointing that in the current day, women are not at the fore front, or even on par with male counterparts in such important, essential roles. It is long overdue that women are supported and encouraged to participate in STEM subjects at any age.
The National Women’s Conference calls upon the National Women’s Committee to:
• Work with branches and regions to create a campaign to remove stigma of females undertaking STEM subjects at any age.
• Work with Labour Link to lobby the UK Government to address this matter in parliament.
• Work with Labour Link to lobby the UK Government to provide a bursary for females wishing to undertake STEM A Levels to retain and develop talent.